Health

Sony is considering joining forces with industry players to produce ventilators amid fears they will be in short supply due to the spread of the new coronavirus, Nikkei learned on Wednesday.

The Japanese government has developed a smartphone app that enables users to check if they have possibly encountered someone infected with the novel coronavirus and plans to release it to the public as early as the end of April.

Kyocera Corp. has started developing a device to check human health and immunity from the odor of one’s stool, aiming to put it into practical use in three years.

Fujifilm Holdings is to launch a coronavirus testing kit that the Japanese company said would speed up results by two hours, joining a string of global pharma groups in responding to surging demand as the global pandemic widens.

With Japan struggling with limited testing capacity for the coronavirus, companies are coming to the rescue with test kits that significantly reduce the time needed to deliver a result.

Ajinomoto Co. is considering new services to help to reduce the risk of developing dementia, President and Chief Executive Officer Takaaki Nishii said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.

Japanese researchers have developed a test kit for the novel coronavirus that provides results within 10 minutes -- far faster than standard testing methods.

Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical is aiming to roll out an antibody treatment for COVID-19 as early as this year, as it joins global big pharma's pledge to rise to the occasion amid a global pandemic.

The 10-year survival rate for patients who were diagnosed with cancer between 2003 and 2006 stood at 57.2 percent, up 0.8 percentage point from the previous survey, the National Cancer Center Japan said Tuesday.

Japanese precision instrument maker Shimadzu is working on a one-hour test kit for the new coronavirus, which could be delivered to health institutions as early as this month, the company said Wednesday.